2017 general election
The 2017 general election was the election for Congress, held on 10 April 2017. The election was to be a test over the governing coalition's popularity and support, but the breakout of a corruption scandal involving Prime Minister Peter Wostor in mid-March 2017 lead to a significant change in the political sphere. The Greens, leading in most polls since December lost many members, who left to create new party ECO17, and it appeared that the Free Liberal Party, Yes to the Future and Brunant Conservatives gained most from the split of the Greens initially. On election day, the Social Democrats and CDU finished first and second, though it was the Brunant Conservatives and FLP who made the most gains. No one party managed to get over 20 seats, and six got more than 10, making it clear that at least four parties wold be needed in any coalition. Participating parties 11 parties announced their candidacies by 31 December 2016, which was the official registration date. Party lists were submitted by 15 February. Extraordinary circumstances in regards to the Green Party scandal have led the elections office to extend party registration until the 26th of March. The outbreak of the scandal led to the formation of ECO17, and possible further fragmentation of the Green Party, with one additional member leaving to form Coalition LOCAL with others, and the Pirate Party subsequently announcing its candidacy. Both the SDP and CDU had the largest number of candidates, at 25, with LOCAL having the least, 4. Seven parties had more than ten candidates. Election list This was the election list as of 26 March. 170 total candidates were added to the list. Opinion polls Opinion polls in the months ahead of the election had the Greens and Social Democrats leading the polls, just ahead of the CDU. The Green Party scandal in March saw their poll numbers significantly reduced, which interestingly coincided with the CvB rising in the polls. Both the SD and CDU lost seats later in March, with the CvB and FLP gaining most. 2013 Election posters Change is good SD poster.png|Change is Good. Vote SD. CDU poster 2017.png|Opern for Business with the CDU CvB poster 2017.png|Brunant for us. (CvB) P70 LINKS POSTER.png|P70-Links YES 2017 poster.png|Yes to the Future. CDU poster Vandreck.png|CDU. A clear choice FLP poster.png|FLP Ride the Centrist Wave.png|Ride the Centrist Wave (ABB) Results Preliminary results were announced at 22:00 on 10 April, with the final, official results published on 14 April. Aftermath and government formation See also: 2017 Brunanter government formation Final results indicated that the Social Democrats finished in first place, although much reduced, having lost seven seats in the process. The CDU came in second, gaining two seats to make it to 16. Both the new ECO17 and SLP managed 13 each, with the FLP gaining 4 to finish at 12 and CvB 12 to make for their biggest result ever, with their softened rhetoric gaining more support. The YES wave never materialized, though the party was able to keep its five seats. P70-Links lost three seats, SAP won two to finish with three (the only leftist party to increase) and the Green Party lost 11, the biggest single drop for any one party ever, keeping them tied on seats with the BPP. Early analysis has shown that no less than four parties are needed to form a government; at least five leftist parties are needed to make the 50% threshold, and all rightist parties together are not nearly enough to govern on their own. By early October discussion began over a potential minority SD/ECO/ABB/FLP government, with either the CDU or SLP giving tacit support for confidence and supply. By the middle of the month a coalition between the four parties seemed a likely eventuality, and it became clearer that perhaps an arrangement with SLP would be most likely. On 10 January 2018, a government was agreed to with with SD/ECO/FLP/ABB after 275 days, with a confidence and supply arrangement with the SLP. Pieter Van Buskirk was chosen Prime Minister. Category:General elections